Showing posts with label gun control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gun control. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Obama Pushes for Anti-Gun Treaty That Could Subject American Citizens to Extradition and Trial in Foreign Courts



Here is a direct link to the CNN video:

The Treaty is called the INTER-AMERICAN CONVENTION AGAINST THE ILLICIT MANUFACTURING OF AND TRAFFICKING IN FIREARMS, AMMUNITION, EXPLOSIVES, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIALS

It is more commonly known by its Spanish acronym, SIFTA, and was signed by then President Clinton in 1997 but was not ratified by the Senate. You can read the text of the treaty here.
Here is a Politico article on Obama's resurrection of this treaty signed by Clinton. And here is one in the Washington Post. And here is a good article about this proposed treaty in the Gun Rights Examiner, which discusses how it could even reach reloaders who are trying to save a buck in the face of increasing ammo prices. And here is an excellent write up by Gun Owners of America which further expands on the sweeping ramifications of this very vague treaty.

Hmm, I wonder what will happen if I do this ...

Obama: Sticking His Hand Down a Badger Hole to See What Happens

I am increasingly convinced that Obama and his advisers are socially and politically "autistic" in a way - they just don't get it.

First, Obama shows how clueless he is by making the modest proposal that returning injured and disabled war veterans should have to pay for their own medical care, thus insulting not just millions of veterans, but also sending a clear message to the current serving military of just what Obama thinks of them - not much.

Then his underlings in the DHS insult millions of us veterans (and also current serving military) yet again by categorizing us as potential terrorist threats. Either the people in power in the Obama administration truly are clueless or they just can't help letting us "traditional Americans" know what they really think of us.

And now, even though members of his own party have warned him repeatedly that trying to enact gun control is really not a good idea, Obama just cannot resist the temptation to stick his hand down that particular badger hole and start poking around, oblivious to the potential unintended consequences, by seeking to impose a byzantine regime of gun registration and tracking on the American people by means of this international treaty.

And according to the language in this proposed treaty, U.S. citizens accused of violating its terms would be punished under international law and would be subject to extradition to foreign countries:

Article XIX
Extradition

1. This article shall apply to the offenses referred to in Article IV of this Convention.

2. Each of the offenses to which this article applies shall be deemed to be included as an extraditable offense in any extradition treaty in force between or among the States Parties. The States Parties undertake to include such offenses as extraditable offenses in every extradition treaty to be concluded between or among them.

3. If a State Party that makes extradition conditional on the existence of a treaty receives a request for extradition from another State Party with which it does not have an extradition treaty, it may consider this Convention as the legal basis for extradition with respect to any offense to which this article applies.

That means the U.S. government could arrest you for something you did at home, in the U.S. and then, if it so chose, extradite you, sending you away to a foreign nation for trial for violating this anti-gun treaty.

Does that sound familiar? It should. Remember, among the grievances against King George listed in the Declaration of Independence were:

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: ....

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

This proposed treaty thus combines several of the causes of our Revolution. Good lord, is Obama trying to repeat history? - Stewart Rhodes